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A FEW MEMBER PROFILES...
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FKistamma
(Milk Seller, Hotel Owner)
By the time she was 15, Kistamma had no education, no income and her first
child. Four children followed quickly. Making ends meet was getting impossible
each day. Mounting debts, responsibilities...hope was nowhere in sight. With
only determination on her side, she took a loan of Rs.5000 from SML. She
invested that in a breakfast center. 3 years and 7 loans later, she has a
flourishing hotel and a milk selling business, a small piece of farm land, and
gratitude for SML, which she thinks turned her life around.
Source: SHARE Microfin Limited, Annual Report, 2003- 2004
Shaheda Begum
(Decorative Material Maker, Storekeeper)
By the time Shaheda was 8, she lost her father and had to work in the fields
alongside her mother. At 15 she got married to a farm worker. Soon, she had 5
children and no income. To Shaheda, life was just a downward spiral. She took
her first loan of Rs.6000 from SML with a hope to make life better, and started
making sweet boxes. Soon, she diversified her business to a petty shop and
manufacture of decorative material. Today, Shaheda stands tall...and independent
and confident.
Source: SHARE Microfin Limited, Annual Report, 2003- 2004
Kamalamma
(Brick Maker/ Farmer)
Kamalamma was born in a poor agricultural family - the fourth of five girls. She
was married by the time she was 13. She soon had five children. Determined to
have a better life, she took her first loan of Rs.2500 (US$ 54) from SML. She
bought a buffalo and sold the milk in her neighborhood. She took several
subsequent loans and started a flour mill. Gaining confidence, she decided to do
something bigger, and so she ventured into manufacturing bricks. She now has a
growing business and they lead a comfortable life. Her children help her manage
her diverse interests- only after they return from school.
Source: SHARE Microfin Limited, Annual Report, 2002- 2003
Chand Bee
(Baker)
Her childhood revolved around hard labor, empty
plates, non-existent opportunities and no education. Married by 15, she lived
with insufficiency, inadequacy and a hut that promised to collapse at any
instant. Then she heard of SML. She joined the program and took her first loan
of Rs.5000, which she invested in a baking unit and cattle rearing. Within three
years she built a thriving bakery that caters to 15 villages in the vicinity.
Once a laborer, today she employs people...all she says, thanks to SML.
Source: SHARE Microfin Limited, Annual Report, 2003- 2004
Nagamma
(Livestock Keeper)
Nagamma was born in a family of 13 children. At the age of 10, she was working
in the fields and taking care of her siblings. She was married at 13. She and
her husband worked hard on a small plot of land, but to their dismay, their
crops failed. Out of desperation, she approached SML for a loan of Rs.2,000 (
US$ 43.5). She bought two goats with the money. Despite several setbacks, she
persisted, and today owns several buffaloes. She now has a nice house to live
in, and has several new projects that have her excited about the future.
Source: SHARE Microfin Limited, Annual Report, 2002- 2003